WINNING TICKETS
Home crowd watches Noel lead Thunder to first win
About 20 minutes before tip-off, Nerlens Noel was called into emergency action.
Noticeably missing in the Thunder’s line of interlocked arms for the national anthem was a certain 7-foot New Zealander. Steven Adams was a late scratch from the starting lineup against the Suns with left calf soreness.
While there’s no cure for a poor offense like a below-average team playing for the second time in less than 24 hours, Noel showed his impact in Adams’ absence, posting 20 points, 15 rebounds and four steals in a 117110 win Sunday at Chesapeake Energy Arena.
About 40 minutes before, Thunder coach Billy Donovan received word from the medical staff that Adams’s availability was in question. Donovan met with the team in pregame and by the time he was finished, Adams was ruled out.
In stepped Noel to pace the Thunder to its first win of the season.
“He did a lot of really good things,” Donovan said. “He scored some points on some lobs and some rolls and got to the free throw line.
“But I was really impressed with his defensive activity tonight. He did a really good job there.”
Seemingly every pass thrown within Noel’s eyesight was met with his ball pressure and length. His second jump on rebounds was a match for Suns No. 1 overall pick Deandre Ayton, and far better than that of Ayton’s ground-bound frontcourt mate Ryan Anderson.
Noel had 10 rebounds in 15 first-half minutes.
Some caveats: The Suns were on the second night of a back-to-
back and playing without Devin Booker’s 27.8 points per game. Regardless, Noel’s hustle was infectious and the catalyst of the Thunder doing what it does best: Use its athleticism to turn defense into offense.
By halftime, the Thunder had 16 of its 25 fastbreak points, eclipsing it’s 12.3 per game average — a direct product of its most engaged defensive effort since opening night against Golden State.
The Thunder read the scouting report, as Phoenix came into Oklahoma City as the worst fast-break defense in the league, allowing 24.4 points per game.
Even when the Thunder’s offense stalled, Noel helped make up the difference. On one sequence, Noel slipped an underhand pass to a cutting Patrick Patterson, but Patterson was stripped and the Suns were off and running. At least they thought they were.
While tracking back, Noel never took his eyes off the ball. He closed space in an instant, intercepting a Phoenix pass, then returning a strike to Patterson for an uncontested dunk.
The Thunder set a franchise record for steals in a half with 12 en route to a 62-48 halftime lead. Noel had a quarter of them, his defensive presence and athleticism making his $1.75 million price tag look like a bargain.
“The identity of wanting to play faster definitely starts on the defensive end,” Noel said.
“Getting steals, deflections, anything to get out on the fast break and getting Russell (Westbrook) coming downhill.”
The Thunder’s defense was so improved, Westbrook could afford to start slow. He didn’t score his first point until 5:37 before halftime.
By the time he hit his first basket from the field on a drive with 3:20 left in the first half, the Thunder led by 19.
About four minutes into the third quarter, the Thunder formally announced that Adams was out for the night. Seconds later, Westbrook — who exploded for 11 of his team-high 23 points in the third — put his head down on a drive and laid the ball off to a trailing Noel for a punctuation dunk on the break.
As soon as Noel landed, he was reaching down to pick up Westbrook, who was sprawled out underneath the basket.
“He did a good job and overall it was a good team win for us,” Westbrook said of Noel filling in for Adams.
Whether the Suns were unbeaten or 1-4 entering Sunday, the Thunder needed a win to erase the lows of an 0-4 start, and Noel picked up the slack.
“It was one of the funnest basketball games I’ve played in since I’ve been here,” Noel said.
“Whether I was coming off the bench or I was starting, I play the same way.”